The Weekend
by brokenhomes
Summary: It took Santana four days to realize that her life was headed in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, it took Rachel over a year to realize the same. Why does it take so long for Rachel to see that Santana was filling the shoes that Finn didn't even think about buying? She blames it on his face. Santana blames it on denial. Santana/Rachel.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This isn't completely like the show in the past either. But this is my take of what could've happened behind the scenes had something happened to Santana to make her realize that gay is okay! Sentences in italics after every break are actual lines from the show which I don't own. This starts by the episode Funeral. It will most probably go by episode order with the ocasional flashback if I decide to do it like that.**

* * *

_So how come I'm the one still standing here talking to you?_

"We need to help her. She's overwhelmed and she needs us to help her."

"I agree."

Everyone turns to Santana with raised eyebrows and uneasy looks, "Finn is wrong more times than Mr. Schue wears vests; but for once, he's right." The group starts to slowly look away from her, but none of them without considering the fact that this is a bit _off_.

"When someone dies, yes it's a tragedy, but it's also a part of life. And you can't let death put your life on hold. I don't think you should be planning a funeral when you guys haven't even finished your set list for Nationals, or started it." Jesse's words sliced through the silence that was at first supportive, then confused, and now solemn, with a bit of rage mixed into the bigger picture.

"You… you're serious?" Finn stutters stupidly.

"Actually, yes I am. Do you know what Vocal Adrenaline is doing right now? They are on their third week of 24-hour-a-day rehearsal. If someone dies during one of their numbers, they use them as a prop for the next one. We have to take this even more seriously than they do or we don't have a shot at even placing at Nationals." The only person nodding along to Jesse's words is Brittany and that's only because she heard the word prop and was instantly hooked, but Quinn gently shook her head and placed her hand on the girl's thigh as a silent _no_.

Finn opens his mouth to protest— his hands becoming tight fists as if his tantrum was about to start— and Santana speaks first to save them all from his impending stupidity and false heroism, "Look, Jesse, nobody likes you; maybe Rachel but she also claims to love Finn and we all know how stupid that makes her look." Rachel's eyes cut to the girl speaking and what she said falls onto her all at once, but she doesn't necessarily see it as an insult. Granted, she was called stupid, but she thinks it has more to do with Finn being in the equation than her.

"We don't need you, or Sue's sister, to distract us while we try to get ready to kick ass at Nationals, but _shit hit the fan_. Now, I don't need to go into a spiritual rambling unlike you, and I really don't have to squeal like an overgrown boy about how I'm the leader, sound like I'm degrading women, and then kick a chair on my way out, either." She glances at Finn menacingly and the boy glares back. Puck chuckles, because even though he's stuck between Santana and Finn as his bros, Finn is an idiot, and that makes his life hilarious. Everyone is looking at Santana like she's a completely different person, and to be honest, she is.

"But just because we don't need something or it makes our lives harder doesn't mean we have to ignore it completely because who the fuck cares it's not our problem. That's not right. It's not the way we do things in this club. We're doing the service. And I'm not trying to act like my words mean anything or like I'm going to split the world in two with my sudden tenderness, but you have another thing coming if you're going to march in here with your homosexual ass scarves and demand anything of us other than all we are. I may not be a leader like Rachel or Puck or even Tina, but it's safe to say that I'm a part of this family. And I know where I stand just as much as I know where everyone else does. I'm down with that. I'll crack open a cold one and let you guys take the lead any day. But since Finn is too busy sucking his mom's tit over there I might as well butt in to say that I hate you and we are doing this funeral because while your heart may be broken because Streisand knows she's actually worth a buck or two, our hearts beat just fine and they're always in the right place."

Mike pats Santana on the back from the row above her as she finishes her heartfelt statement. Puck is nodding along in his seat as his hand slowly crawls up Lauren's thigh. He receives a smack to the back of the head. Quinn and Brittany hold expressions that don't really waver from the usual but that's only because they know that this is the real Santana, and they're done being surprised by the large size of her heart. Everyone else shows deep gratitude for her words and agrees that Jesse is wrong, as he usually is. Finn looks about ready to storm out and Rachel looks at Santana in silent awe because _what the fuck_. If it was up to Finn to defend the kind hearts of this club he wouldn't have, and that's as simple as it's going to get. Rachel couldn't have said anything any better and she silently curses herself for not being well prepared but also praises the girl for being so kind, although she does she think that a buck or two is pretty steep she'll accept the compliment with a slight toss of the bangs. She wouldn't have had them last year, you know.

* * *

_We're ready for the first contestant. _

"My name is Santana Lopez and I'll be singing _whatever the fuck_ _I want_ by _Me_."

Puck, who's conveniently seated at the back by the auditorium doors, lets out a loud snort. She has always been his favorite. Rachel, who's seated next to him because she wanted to_ "scope out the competition before she crushed them like a homophobic act of violence"_, suppresses a grin. Santana has always been the most charming.

Will sighs, "Santana." But the girl only shrugs before she starts to sing.

"_Last year I thought I was at my best, but I seemed to have misplaced me head. Like the night that I left you a mess, and you called me and begged to come back, but I never did_." Santana's voice is raw, and everyone in the room can feel it. Jesse stopped scribbling in his notepad the minute she started singing. He knew this was something unlike anything he has ever experienced at Carmel. This was passion; not for winning, not for the chance to beat everyone and shove the victory down their throats, not for them; no, at this moment Santana is by herself, vulnerable and alone. This is for her. And she sings this desperately, with an occasional hitch in her breath, and stutter in her heart; she sweeps the audience away with the honesty she's expressing. This was passion; this is what Jesse _lacked_.

"_No, I never did. I just wanted to say sorry for that_. _I just wanted to say sorry for that_."

Rachel is mesmerized. She looks to Puck from the corner of her eye and she's sure that she can say the same about him. His jaw is clenched, and his eyes stern and serious, like a million memories are replaying behind his eyes, and in truth, there were. Since the beginning of the school year Santana had been struggling with her identity. He had been through all of it, being that he was and remains the only person she can fully trust at this school. It warms him, but also builds his strength.

"_For the weekends that I wasn't home while you slept in your room all alone. For the lies that I carelessly told as you held onto some kind of hope. I wish I would've known, but I didn't know_."

Puck knows who she is now and he knows that she knows it too, and that she won't let it hold her back anymore. She's already let it tear her apart, but she's done trying to hide the only thing she will ever be.

Rachel is still in her chair. One move and the spell will be broken. This is Santana; a raw, emotionally unstable Santana; the one hiding behind the thorns; the one with the rose in her hand. She looks on the stage to see the girl drop her head slightly as she pauses.

"_I just wanted to say sorry for that. You deserve so much more than that."_

A pause, a lull in the broken heartbeat of the girl with the sharp tongue, a wicked grin that spoke more volumes than a tub of tears, and a sob coming from the memories hidden behind the eyes of a Jewish brother; Santana finished the song with a raw voice.

"_I just wanted to say sorry for that_."

Mr. Schue claps as the song ends, "Very good, Santana!"

Jesse sighs and leans forward, "Thanks so much for coming in."

Santana's face scrunches into one of distaste that she regularly holds for Finn and outstretches her arms in confusion, "Wait, that's all you have to say?"

"Well if you really must know what I thought then I must admit that I don't think that you went very deep into the emotional truth of the song."

Rachel was baffled, as was Puck who was getting ready to walk up to the jackass and suffocate him using one of his colorful scarves. Rachel could squeeze Santana's words and have the emotion pouring out of them into palpable puddles in the middle of the auditorium. She didn't understand Jesse's angle.

"Are you kidding me? I chose that song _specifically_ because it was the only one that expressed all the _shit_ I keep piled up for moments like this. You know, when I'm given an actual chance to surpass my expectations in this club."

"It's true! There's so much shit!" Puck is smacked by Rachel, who tells him to quiet down.

Will leans back in his chair to stare at Jesse because he really doesn't understand the audacity of the boy.

"I'm sure your pile is filled with boy troubles and worrisome thoughts about the next dress you'll be able to fit into but it's not the kind of emotion that I'm looking for in a star. Stars have purpose, ambition, and a large amount of feelings to express through performance that they can't express otherwise."

Santana shifts on the stage and hops down to walk towards the table that Jesse is using as a defense mechanism. Will is looking at her with a warning behind his eyes but she knows what she's doing and it's nothing stupid. She walks along the aisle, looks down at the table to Jesse's drawing of a cat, proclaims, "You draw like shit," and walks out of the auditorium after sparing a quick glance toward Rachel and Puck. Puck slides off his chair swiftly and goes after Santana, Rachel does the same after a moment and they find themselves in the choir room with the rest of Rachel's competition, with the exception of Kurt because he is the next to perform.

Puck whispers something about having to leave and turns around, at the door he proclaims, "That was bullshit!" and he storms out accordingly. Santana nods her head from the top row of seats and crosses her arms over her chest.

"I agree. While my vocal range is unlimited and it surpasses that of a normal teenage girl's, I can't say that I have ever sung with that much passion, and as unnerving as it was for my musical self-esteem it was also very beautiful work." Santana looks down at Rachel with hard eyes and a frown on her face.

"You're going to win."

Mercedes nods along but never voices what she thinks. Santana continues.

"He's in love with you and whatever song you sing he's going to want for himself. This whole thing was rigged." Mercedes knows this too.

"Praise."

* * *

_For whatever my man is, I am his, forevermore._

Kurt stands up to clap excessively and is pulled down by Mercedes, although she had wished to do the same. Santana is silent, pensive. The song was clearly for Finn, and she knew what she had to do about that.

"That was brilliant. I have nothing but the tip of my hat." Santana rolls her eyes at Jesse but adds in her two cents because, well, she's Santana.

"Who knew that even idiots could be so right?" She winks at Rachel, but she doubts that the girl could see it all the way from the stage, and then thanks the distance silently, because _god_ she just _winked_ at _Rachel Berry_.

Will talks about respect and decision-making and Friday and then it's over.

But they all know who the real winner is.

* * *

_I miss my sister._

Santana walks through the narrow lane of seats and sits next to Rachel, grins her hello and chuckles internally when Rachel looks slightly surprised at the lack of a menacing greeting.

Sue continues to talk about her sister before she simply can't, and in front of them Will stands up and goes to stand beside her, reading from Sue's notes and drawing tears to everyone's eyes. Rachel is eyeing the picture of Jean sadly as Mr. Schue continues to talk gently of her prosperous life and she feels a tear crawl down her cheek. She hated funerals. She has had plenty for her past pets and a few for relatives and all were terribly depressing. They always left her in a funk.

Her hand falls to her thigh and she starts to pick at the edge of her dress, ripping off a strand of fabric and internally cursing at herself. She always fidgets when she wants to stop from sobbing uncontrollably. And she understands that she never even met Jean, but imagining herself in Sue's position, with the way that Sue changes completely when mentioning her, she can tell that she was someone very special to her and that she would've risked her life to save her without thinking twice about it.

She feels a hand graze over hers and the fabric that she was rolling into a ball between her fingers slowly escapes from her grasp. She turns to meet Santana's worried eyes, her eyebrows huddled together to form a questioning crinkle between them, and her lips forming a frown. She notices the girl look down to their hands and starts to slowly retract hers, as if the whole gesture was to silently ask if Rachel was okay. Rachel smiles sadly and closes her fist around Santana's pointer finger, which was all that she could grasp at the moment.

Santana swallows. Rachel's hand was so _tiny_, so warm and soft. She moved her finger and went to place her hand above the tiny fist that Rachel left behind. Santana notices that Rachel turns to look at her from the corner of her eye but she continues to look at Will as if she was paying attention. The girl beside her opens her hand from her fist and Santana's hand falls limply into her palm. She knows she's barely breathing and that she might die _at a funeral_, but she doesn't seem to care all that much because if Rachel's hand is this soft imagine the rest of her. Santana's fingers trail the bumps of her palm gracefully and slowly and she bends Rachel's pointer finger forward a bit, playing with her hand before she decidedly slides her fingers between Rachel's. She slid them in softly, giving Rachel the decision to tighten their grasp or to leave completely, but she leaves it as it is; not too tight, not too loose; their fingers wedged perfectly together to be able to _feel connected_ without the need to _share the same fingerprints_.

Rachel felt better. After Santana gave her hand to hold she felt the sad pressure on her chest fall apart slowly, for reasons unbeknownst to herself. Santana's hand felt strong, reliable, and that's something that majorly lacked in Rachel's life as of late, with Finn being flighty and romantically involved with Quinn and with Jesse being a strong oppressor of her veganism and with Noah being_ Noah_, she had no male lead in the musical of her life.

Mr. Schue finished reading Sue's words and took a deep breath. Santana stood up with the rest of New Directions and squeezed Rachel's hand gently before letting go and following the group to their places. Although it's weird for Rachel to miss Santana's warmth, she did. She doesn't understand where this improved Santana has been all her life but lately she's been acting just like Rachel wanted Finn to act for the sake of their relationship and for the sake of the club and Rachel doesn't know if she should feel impressed with her or disappointed in him so she decides to go with impressed because disappointment was otherwise always associated with Finn. Even in her mind the punctuation is scarce and words are plenty.

How unnerving.

* * *

_Just don't touch me!_

The car door to Finn's hideous truck slams closed as Quinn storms out, only to be open again and for a brunette in very nicely ironed pants to slide into the passenger seat.

"Santana what the hell are—" Finn starts to complain but he's cut off by Santana who has a very determined and slightly pained expression on her face. But the pain is distant, too distant to read if you barely know her.

And she's a complete stranger to Finn.

"You shut up and listen and this will all go by faster than both of us could dream of. It's known that I hate you. I'm pretty sure my mom knows I hate you and she doesn't even know you exist. I'm not here for you so you can relocate that train of thought and drive it right off the tracks. I'm here for Rachel, and before you open your idiotic mouth to drabble on and on about how I always target Rachel and how I must have _some_ ulterior motive to this discussion then you can stop yourself because while my feelings for anything are none of your business I look after the New Directions like family. I don't slushy you guys anymore, and if you remember clearly which I bet you don't, I've barely slushied any of you. The point is, you're going to go after Rachel and you're going to treat her right. She's crazy for you, God only knows why, and hell, I bet he doesn't either. You're a moron and you don't deserve her but she picked her poison and you're the deadliest. If you ruin her I ruin you. And if you try to fight back, I'll kill you. And this isn't Kurt and Karofsky 2.0, this is the furthest thing from an empty promise."

Santana places her hand on the door and opens it before stepping out and turning around to face Finn.

"If you don't know how to treat a girl like Rachel then I suggest you practice because Rachel is the real deal and she's special. If even I can see that, it's serious. Don't fuck it up, Hudson."

Santana slams the door and walks off in the opposite direction. Puck waddles by and taps on the glass, nodding at Finn and meeting his eye until he disappears from sight to follow Santana.

Rachel stares at the girl go, from a considerable distance away. She feels her heart swell at the words she was able to make out as Santana stood outside of Finn's truck, and it tightens as Santana rips her button-down from its tucked position in her pants and races Puck to his car.

Rachel turns to Finn and blames him for her swollen heart.

She doesn't delve further into the cause.

* * *

_Alright guys, time to get to work. Now, I want two hit songs by the time the wheels touch down at JFK. Come on._

* * *

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Like i said before this isn't going to be entirely like the show. The past isn't entirely the same either. if it's not clarified in the story at a later time then it's probably not important but if you have any questions then you can let me know! I am not completely satisfied with this chapter but let me know what you think~ Since this is the last episode before summer vacation and they don't show that I'll be making a summer chapter. I promise it'll be better than this one. Review please. Ease my mind.**

* * *

_Most of the other teams split by sexual orientation._

That comment had Will thinking. Surely, Kurt would be with the girls either way, but he decided to try this out. He needs to be spontaneous; live his life however he sees fit and playing it safe never got him anywhere. That's why he's in New York _without_ Emma. He knows this is a minimal goal, but it's one nonetheless, and you have to start somewhere.

Will turns from the desk and sees his kids scattered throughout the lobby and he approaches them confidently. He claps his hands when he places himself in the center of them and grins when he has everyone's attention.

"Hey guys! How do you like New York so far?"

Puck, of course, speaks first, "So many hot chicks, _and_ they name a drink after their own city."

"Getting drunk in Manhattan with a Manhattan." Puck turns to Santana and they high-five roughly. Brittany chuckles at this and meets Santana's eyes, they grin at each other before Santana looks away feigning disinterest. Rachel sees this and looks at the other brunette curiously, and as if Santana shared the same sixth sense that Rachel so proudly explores, the taller girl turns to her and stares at her, looking away quickly after a few seconds, confusion etched across her features.

"I feel like this is my home." Kurt says shyly and pulls Rachel into a one-armed hug.

"I feel like we are going to kick ass at Nationals." Tina says this with a bright smile, and everyone laughs.

Will quiets them down, "Okay guys, well I've decided to switch it up this week. We are going to be separating the rooms by sexual orientation. The lady behind the desk gave me the idea and while slightly offensive, it seems full proof. I know you guys watch after each other like family, so no judgment. Figure it out amongst yourselves; drop off your luggage, then meet back in the room for a group meeting."

Everybody stands looking after Mr. Schue's disappearing figure before they turn to each other and shrug everything off, all boys except Kurt moving towards the boys and all the girls except Santana moving towards the girls. Kurt and Santana stand between the two groups and shake hands, tip their heads in respect, and turn around to follow the trail of their sexual identity.

All the boys, with the exception of Finn, took Santana in with open arms. Artie was wary, but even throughout the drama between him and Santana, he knows she respects his relationship with Brittany, so he nods his head in greeting and accepts Santana's grin wholeheartedly. He also lets her roll him to their room. She helped with his luggage; there really wasn't room for complaints.

Rachel was really, _really_ confused. She knew that Santana had at least _some_ Sapphic tendencies if her pinky-linking relationship with Brittany was taken into regards, but she didn't know she was completely… _un-straight_. Rachel's eloquence was lacking today, she could tell, but she knows that once she sniffs the New York City air she'll be back to normal.

"I didn't know Santana was _gay_." Tine whispers to Mercedes and Kurt, who grins wickedly.

"Me either, and what _the hell_ was that handshake for, Kurt?" Mercedes turns to her best friend in question and Tine looks over curiously too. Rachel maintains her steady pace ahead of them but slows down slightly to listen in.

"It's a gay thing."

"Well it _looked_ like an Asian thing. I would know; I'm dating _Mike_." Kurt snorts and waves his hand flippantly, mutters something to them about Santana being like an elephant on his gaydar and then proceeds to talk about how everyone should thank him for helping the girl find her true style.

They make it to their room and Rachel drops off her luggage, skips out the door, and runs into Finn. She knows he came out to look for her, and she decides to walk alongside him on their way to the group meeting.

Finn slides his hands into his pockets and looks to the ground shyly, "Hey, Rachel."

"Hello, Finn. How did you find your room?"

"It was pretty cool, I have to bunk with Artie since Sam and Mike called the biggest bed, and Santana and Puck come as a package, I guess," He crinkles his eyebrows and sighs, "Me and Puck used to best friends. Ever since a few weeks ago things have been changing, and then Santana talked to me and I don't really know what her angle is." Rachel's ears, akin to those of a dog, perked up at the last bit of information.

"Santana talked to you?" Finn nods.

"After the funeral." Well, Rachel knew that; she had stared at the girl as she plopped into Finns truck and talked, and then after when she actually heard some of the words she had to say. She knew that she was the topic of the conversation but she didn't know why. Admittedly, Santana had been nothing but cordial as of late and while appreciative, Rachel— as much as she loves to see the good in people's hearts and forgive— can't help but think that there's more to this for Santana than just being a _'team player'_.

"What did you talk about?"

"You," he shrugs, "She told me to treat you right and stuff like that; said it could affect the glee club if I didn't." While that was true, Santana was filled with reasons to protect Rachel from the lumbering idiot, but most she'd kept to herself, only spewing to Finn the one that would cause less controversy if he was to tell anyone about what happened, which _of course_, he just did. And Rachel understood, she really did; but she was disappointed. She'd never had anybody defend her like that, and yes Santana does have an excellent point. Rachel was the leader of the club and without her giving it her all they would have no chance. So she smiled kindly at Finn, convinced herself that the light was hitting his face at _just_ the right angle, and silently walked with him to the meeting.

It didn't cross her mind that Finn always needs someone to help him find his way to her. But at least he's here.

* * *

_New York! New York!_

The song finished with a splash. _Literally_.

Santana had been running behind Rachel as the entire club ran around the fountain, and she had _'slipped'_. And by _slipped_, she planted her foot and firmly placed her hands on Finn's chest, pushing off of him so she could _keep her balance_.

"What the _hell_?" Finn sputtered from his position inside the fountain as Santana laughed loudly, bending over and holding her stomach. Lauren was next to appear in the fountain; Puck had crept up behind her and pushed her.

"Puckerman!"

The rest was a blur. Every member of the New Directions targeted the other. Mike throwing Tina over his shoulder and jumping in, Quinn jumping on Puck and making him fall forward into the water, Brittany jumping on Artie and making him wheel around as she outstretched her hand and collected water from the stream to throw at people; it had gotten more hectic than Santana had anticipated. Kurt and Mercedes refused to ruin their hair, and Sam jumped in on his own to continually splash Finn who at this point looked ready to kick a chair. Santana was extremely amused.

She felt small hands on her back push her forward, but not enough to fall into the fountain. Santana turns around to find a wide-eyed Rachel, hands behind her back, and expression completely innocent.

Rachel screams when Santana charges towards her and she shatters the girl's eardrum when she's swiftly picked up by the knees. Rachel's arms instinctively go around the girl's neck, but she starts to try to claw her way out of Santana's arms when she realizes that the only place she's going to end up is inside the fountain and that's something she really didn't want. She seriously should've thought this through. Who knew that Santana's posture was so sturdy? And her back so _strong_?

"Santana, I am begging you, as a civil citizen of society, please unhand me this instant before I possibly damage my vocal chords by flirting with the possibility of catching a cold and therefore ruining our chances of winning at Nationals." Santana catches her line of sight and stops, about a foot away from the stream of the fountain, "And what if this is my plan to get you out of the picture so I can take over?"

"Surely you wouldn't want to have to sing a duet with Finn."

"Why do think I pushed him in the first place? One down one to go." The glint in her eyes was playful and even though Rachel feared for her life, she can't say she wasn't having fun. The smaller girl continued to push at Santana's collarbone, trying to jump out of her grasp and run safely over to hide behind Kurt and Mercedes who have been staring at her for the past five minutes.

"I have one last question for you, Rachel," The girl ignores the fact that her heart clenched as Santana said her first name for the first time since she can remember, so she looks at Finn and curses him for his handsome face and then turns back to the stunning brown eyes of her captor, "Does a gold star dim under water?"

Rachel stutters repeatedly, "Santana, please, please, please, please no, no, n—"

Rachel grabs Santana's hoodie and clenches it in her fists as she feels Santana jump forward and walk under the stream. The water goes up to the taller girls knees, her jeans and sneakers drenched and her hold on Rachel becoming loose as water pours all over the beautiful, shorter girl in her arms. Rachel gurgles and spits out water to the side and glares at Santana under the water, the drops pouring down her face and causing her bangs to fall around her features. Santana's eyes soften. She wants nothing more than to be able to push the hair out of her face but to do so she would have to let the girl go, and that's not something she's willing to do so easily, especially since this is the closest she has ever been to Rachel her entire life.

But as stubborn as she is, she knows this can't last forever.

She slowly removes her arm from under Rachel's knees and lets her place her feet on the ground. Rachel is still grabbing onto her hoodie, crinkling it in her fists and lifting it up slightly above the waistband of Santana's jeans.

Rachel pauses. Yes, she admits it, she's never actually looked into Santana's eyes for any reason other than to glare at her but looking into them for the first time she notices that they aren't as dark as everyone thought. They're brown, _light_ brown, but the inner edge surrounding her pupil is so light, almost hazel, that it makes Rachel question the way the girl herself is viewed by others. Dark from a distance, full of spite and menacing glances, but once you get closer to her, it all clears up, and she's a ray of light, so pure, burning on your skin and crawling through your body to nestle itself in even the most shaded of regions.

She feels Santana push the wet bangs out of her face and her breath hitches because of her tenderness; by the gentle way that she grazes her fingers after she slips the hair behind her ear, trailing them under her jaw and chasing after a drop of water that slid down the side of her neck and into a gap in her collarbone. Santana had been following her hand's movement, but her eyes snapped up to Rachel's the minute she pulled away, mind hazy and heart thumping.

Rachel didn't realize she wasn't breathing until Santana placed her hand on the girl's hip. She sucked in a breath desperately and started to cough when she swallowed water.

Santana was beyond concerned and didn't take Rachel seriously when she said that she could damage her vocal chords but she really wasn't going to be responsible for their loss at Nationals.

That was Finn's job.

She was patting Rachel's back gently as the girl's coughing died down but she was pushed roughly, really roughly, _football-tackle-roughly_, and Santana found herself on her side, head halfway under the water, and her eyes _burning_.

"_What the fuck?" _She proclaimed after she managed to move to a seated position, rubbing her eyes to try to rid them of this obviously contaminated water. She _really_ should've thought this through. Taking a dive in a public fountain in the middle of New York City? Off her bucket list and _never_ happening again.

She opens her eyes and everything is a blur but she just _knows_ it's Finn who pushed her, she can practically _feel_ his aura of stupidity, "What's your deal, _Hudson_?" she's snapping at him like an owner to a dog and she thinks that even that is an honor too high for Finn to hold. He just glares at her and pats Rachel's back, standing where Santana was standing, and offering words of support that Santana couldn't.

It wasn't her place.

And she doesn't know if it angers her because Finn can be someone she can't, or if it's because he's being someone she wants to be.

When they get back to the hotel room, Will is furious.

They don't say a word.

* * *

_Hey, can I try something out on you guys?_

"I think that one of our songs should be a duet with me and Rachel."

"I just want to win." Mike says tiredly, throwing a paper airplane at Finn.

"Awesome."

Puck is hesitant. Santana lays sprawled out on their bed with a book in her hand; she occasionally glances up to look at Finn and the boys as they talk about their plans for Nationals. He knows what he's doing right now if he was to speak up. He_ knows_ that what he has to say will hurt Santana's feelings. But he also knows that she going to be pissed at him and not even know the reason for it. I mean, she knows who she is; knowing who she's meant for shouldn't be that far off, right?

Puck decided to go for it, not for Finn, but for Santana's sake. Maybe a few words can jerk her around a little and finally open her eyes.

He stares at her one last time before talking, "Okay, can we just talk about the Jewish elephant in the room? Ask her out, dude."

Santana freezes and Puck notices from the corner of his eye, but continues to look at Finn regardless. She's going to get it.

"Who? Rachel? But she's totally into Jesse right now."

Puck makes sure to emphasize his next words, talking to the entire room, "We're in New York, the city of _love_."

Finn looks like he's realizing something. Santana sits up slowly and closes her book, staring at Puck.

Puck looks back at her, "You need to ask her out," then he looks to Finn, "tonight."

Sam, silently supporting Finn because Rachel is actually pretty cool after you dig past all the crazy, encourages him, "This is your shot, dude. If I wasn—"

"Aren't we supposed to be working on songs? You guys can continue to try to help Finn with his hideous love life with Berry, but we all know he's going to fuck it up sooner rather than later."

"What is your _problem_ with me, Santana?" Finn stands from his chair abruptly, points his ugly finger at the girl, and looks about ready to let one loose. Santana get up off the bed and throws her book and Puck, who knows that he deserves it and uses it to cover his face as he grins at his girl. She grabs her jacket, throws the hoodie over her head, and opens the door.

"You never _fucking_ get it, Finn. It's all about you and your affinity for midgets, but what about the rest of us?" she slams the door and walks to the girl's room which is just down the hall. She knocks on the door and is met with Rachel. Santana—bold when angry and all common sense silenced— winks at Rachel and then slides past her, settling in the chair that Rachel had taken up and avoiding the blows from the girls using their pillows as weapons around her. Rachel—after regaining her ability to _live_— shuts the door and jumps when her phone is thrown at her. Santana looks disgruntled.

_**Meet me in Central Park at Bow Bridge. Dress up. Finn.**_

Back in the room, after texting Rachel, Finn is confused, "Wait, is Santana into me?"

Puck snorts inwardly. And Mike manages to throw a paper airplane just right.

Finn squirms.

* * *

_I thought since we're both captains and all, that we should write a duet for Nationals._

"Central Park, the tie, the flowers?"

"Uh, you can consider this a work date."

Finn smiles down at Rachel excitedly and offers his arm for her to grasp.

They make their way to the restaurant.

In the meantime, Puck is walking towards the girl's room where he knows Santana decided to hide out, and looks past Mercedes after she opens the door. Santana is leaning against the wall, finger curled around the belt loop of Brittany's jeans, and a grin on her face. She didn't look into it at all, but she had Brittany giggling and blushing and Puck walked over to her and grabbed her forearm, pulling her across the room and straight out of it.

He grabs her by the shoulders and pushes her roughly against the opposite wall, "Are you fucking serious?" Santana pushes back with just as much strength, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're really going to go back to that? Have you forgotten everything that happened?"

Santana huffs, "Leave me alone." Puck sighs, "Listen, Brittany's amazing. But that fine ass ship has sailed. I know you'd rather be sporting some dead legs and wheeling Brittany around as much as the next guy, but sooner or later you're gonna have to own up to the fact that you're not together anymore and you won't be."

"Where are you going with this, Puckerman?"

"Finn's on a date with Rachel right now." Santana's jaw visibly tightens.

"Your point being?

Puck shrugs. He thinks she's hopeless. And it's only just beginning.

* * *

_Santana?_

Rachel's startled by a stall door being kicked open behind her. The vomiting on the other side continues as Santana walks out.

"It's gross that you think I'd do that to myself, Berry."

She rolls up the sleeves of her black button down and washes her hands at the sink. Rachel was surprised by her clothing, opting to wear what the boys were wearing. She thinks it's bold, and she sees that Santana flows more comfortably than before when she pretended to be someone she was far from. Santana had talked to Mr. Schue about the clothing the day before and after a few digs at Dalton Academy for being _exceptionally gay_, Will got tired, and let her go her own way.

Sunshine Corazon walked out of the stall and grabbed a paper towel to dab at her mouth.

"Oh, shoving your fingers down your throat like the rest of your Vocal Adrenaline brothers and sisters?"

Rachel gets close to Sunshine and looks at her expectantly. Santana's eyebrows shoot up while witnessing the side of Rachel that went beyond jealousy; she leaned against the counter to listen.

"I'm not throwing up on purpose. I can't keep any food down. Singing used to relax me, but the pressure of Vocal Adrenaline is just too much for me to handle." Sunshine looked serious, but Rachel scoffed.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Santana crossed her arms.

"What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?" Sunshine huffs and turns away, walking towards Santana and trying to go out the door, "Wait, where are you going?"

"To the Philippine embassy. I'm going to beg them to revoke my visa so I can be deported back home. There's no other way to escape Vocal Adrenaline."

Rachel sighs and her shoulders drop. Santana notices and stiffens. She doesn't understand why she always wants to make Rachel feel better; or why out of everyone in the club, all the girls and all the boys, even looking past Brittany, Rachel stuck out to her.

"It's because you're good. That's why I hated you and why I sent you to that crack house. I'm sorry. But you have to go and sing. You have a gift and there's nothing to be nervous about. I promise you that you are going to be the best voice out there."

Sunshine looks up at her and smiles. Rachel continues, "I'm going to hug you now."

They wrap their arms around each other shortly before Sunshine leaves, smiling at Santana on her way out.

Rachel stands deflated in the middle of the bathroom, and even though what she did was probably the nicest thing Rachel could've done at the moment— and a memory of Rachel that Santana would keep locked away in her mind— the taller girl knows that it took a lot out of her. Rachel was the most talented voice in their entire school, in all of Lima. But she knows what it takes for Rachel to stay confident. She felt threatened; she felt her life changing; she felt like everything would slip away and that all the friends that didn't even consider her to be that close at all would slip away from a grasp that Rachel never even held on them; and that maybe, just maybe, they'd actually like Sunshine. The girl would've sunk to the back of the club, a worn out star that everyone forgot about. Rachel, although gaining all the solos of the club, was treated like next to nothing. The occasional fling with Finn made her feel strong but then when Finn got tired of her she would be devastated and go absolutely crazy. She needed a friend; she needs support.

Santana walked over to Rachel and slung her arm across the shorter girl's shoulders. She starts to slowly walk out of the bathroom.

"I don't care what anybody says. You're the going to be the best thing to come out of Lima, after me of course." Rachel smiles softly.

Santana lifts her arm from Rachel and opens the door for the girl, both walking to take their respective seats in the audience. Santana grabs Rachel's wrist before she walked into her row, "Don't let anyone bring you down, Rachel. You're better than _everyone_." Rachel looked into Santana's hard eyes and nodded.

She takes her seat next to Finn and smiles up at him.

* * *

_Okay, then we get back to the hotel, and Santana loses it._

Puck, Quinn, and Mike all have to hold back Santana from jumping on Finn.

"Listen to me you giant freak, we fucking worked hard for this shit and you go to fuck it all up by kissing a girl that you don't even deserve, are you _fucking_ kidding me? You're so lucky we are in a room full of people. When I see you around town you better run because I'll never be done with you until you get it into your head _that you are the worst singer in this club and kissing Rachel won't make you any better_."

Kurt laughs and tosses his bangs to the side.

"She was so right."

* * *

_You guys want to see what 12__th__ place looks like?_

* * *

**Review please! i see you readers! I see the charts!**


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